Lily Spring Area Survey — miscellanea and trivia

As we progress with the Lily Springs Area Survey, there are bits and pieces of interesting and even useful information that come to light, which may be difficult to find later in the heap of email that one collects - or discards. This page is an attempt to collect some of that information into one place. There is no particular order. Contributions form others are welcome.

What were conditions like during the year (1981) that Sawyer made his survey? According to the Los Angeles Almanac, rainfall recorded at the Los Angeles Civic Center was only 8.96 inches, which is 6.02 inches below average. Rainfall in the mountains was no doubt consistent with this; that is, it was a dry year.

When does the Angeles Crest Highway become fully open to traffic after the winter season?

(This information based on data from Jane Strong, 22-Feb-2010) The road is typically closed to traffic and unplowed between Islip Saddle and Big Pines following the first snowfall of the winter, typically somewhere in the October to December period, but as late as February 20 in 2000. The reopening date depends on the severity of the winter effects of snow, etc., but is usually in the May-June time frame.

How did we construct our master list of plants? We took the list of RSABG vouchers, as compiled by Naomi Fraga, removed Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Juncaceae, and removed duplicates. We added species on the Sawyer Crossoma list minus duplicates. Then we added new species. For purposes of this study, we regard the species names in the 1993 edition of The Jepson Manual as the primary names. Other names, including those assigned subsequent to 1993, are regarded as non-primary aliases. This provides a level of consistency across the range of species names within the study.